By Laurelle Walsh
The Merc Playhouse’s holiday show, “Winter Wonder,” opens this weekend with an evening of poetry, dance, stories and songs all about the season.
Performances are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 5 – 6), with a matinee on Sunday (Dec. 7) at 2 p.m. Four more performances continue next week, Dec. 10 – 13, all at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children. Wednesday, Dec. 10, is a pay-what-you-can performance.
“We’ve pulled together a little company to produce a kind of variety show,” said director Ki Gottberg. “The audience will find it interesting, funny and cute,” she added.
Choreographer Sara Jinks brings two dancers from Seattle to present two original dances, and Missi Smith performs one solo piece and choreographs a troupe of young dancers in another.
Gottberg and John Roth assembled their favorite winter poetry to be performed by Roth, and Danbert Nobacon will perform “a wonderful holiday story that is just perfect for him,” Gottberg said.
Solo flute music will be played by George Schneider, with holiday songs sung by Mandi Smith.
And two staged montages performed by Sue Gottula, Jane Hill, Christine Kendall, Aristides Pappidas and John Roth will reveal that there’s more than one side to the holiday season.
“We wanted to include not only the fun, goofy, traditional stuff, but also the more serious side of the holidays,” Gottberg said.
A few selections reveal the melancholy and struggle of the holiday season that is present for many people, such as a story by humor writer David Sedaris. “The story speaks to the messiness of human existence … and how family love triumphs in the end,” said Gottberg.
“Both joy and bittersweet are in abundance during the holidays.”
Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. A silent auction will run throughout the seven performances of “Winter Wonder.”
The Merc Playhouse is located at 101 S. Glover St. in Twisp. For more information call 997-7529 or go to www.mercplayhouse.org.
